Lessons in leadership: My conversation with a former president

By Wes Bricker, Vice Chair - US Trust Solutions Co-Leader, PwC US

Public service has always been at the center of what I do throughout my career as a Certified Public Accountant (CPA)—whether at PwC, during my time at the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), or even personally in my community. Two core tenants of public service are leadership and trust, which continue to be a focus for me today.

During PwC’s recent Trust Leadership Institute, I had the privilege to sit down with former President George W. Bush, who shared his thoughts on both leadership and building trust with various stakeholders. It was an incredibly insightful conversation with lessons for those in both the private and public sectors that will stay with me for a long time. Here are my key takeaways:

Be authentic & connect on a human level

One of our responsibilities as leaders is to take care of our people—whether that’s our employees, clients or an entire country of constituents—and connect with them in different ways. Leading a big organization can feel impersonal, and you can lose sight of the individuals.  Even when we may not be able to get to know each person in a company or community, meeting with people from different areas with various backgrounds and experiences can help us better understand our people and their needs and expectations.

During these interactions, it’s equally as important to think about how we are presenting ourselves to make sure we’re engaging in authentic ways. We’re all human, and showing that vulnerability—whether it’s admitting when we’re wrong (and taking the right steps to fix it), communicating with empathy and transparency or sharing some of our personal interests—can go a long way in building meaningful and trusting relationships.

Surround yourself with the right people—and then trust them

Leadership comes with many challenges, including making difficult decisions, often in tumultuous times. But there is one thing that can make a huge difference—surrounding yourself with the right people, and trusting them. This should include people who think differently and hold different points of view from your own—those who can challenge your personal opinions and assumptions and help you identify your blind spots. But it’s not enough to simply have these people around—you need to truly listen to them and work to understand their point of view and how and why it differs from your own. 

In addition, it’s important to make sure you’re using the most complete and accurate data possible when making important or difficult decisions. Combining quantitative data with the expertise and experience of your close advisors best positions you, as a leader, to make well-informed decisions. 

Know your North Star–and always come back to it

Increasing economic and geopolitical uncertainty, social polarization and an ever-changing business landscape—combined with a general decline in trust—has created significant challenges for business, community and political leaders alike. However, it’s not the issues we respond to, but how we choose to respond that's important.

To ensure that your business’s actions are aligned with its purpose and goals, it’s critical that leaders—and everyone throughout the organization—know their North Star. This can be your strategy, purpose or specific objectives, but it’s important that everyone is aligned around what you’re collectively working towards and then make decisions and take actions accordingly. 

This is a critical leadership tenant. Businesses will always need to manage new challenges, make adjustments and deal with other factors outside their control. However, by focusing on the company’s North Star—and making sure  people throughout the organization know the North Star as well—positions firms for success because everyone is working in the same direction, and decisions being made and actions taken are all in the goal of taking a step closer to reaching the end goal.

One of the reasons we created the Trust Leadership Institute is because the business landscape—and expectations for companies—have fundamentally shifted, and we wanted to start conversations that empower corporate leaders to address these challenges and continue working to build trust with their stakeholders. I know I certainly left the session feeling inspired and grateful for the opportunity to connect with and learn from President Bush and so many other leaders, and I look forward to implementing some of my takeaways in my role at PwC and sharing them with my colleagues and clients as we work towards our purpose: to build trust in society and solve important problems.